1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to camera systems and, more particulary, to remotely operated camera systems for use, for example, in the security surveillance of a building or other location, for sporting events, for prisons or border control or in the motion picture and television industries.
2. Description of Related Art
It has previously been proposed to mount a camera on a camera mounting or carriage which is suspended from a suspension cable and which carries a motor for driving the camera mounting or carriage along the suspension cable. The camera mounting or carriage is provided with a seat for carrying a person who operates the system by controlling both the travel of the carriage along the suspension cable and also the aiming of the camera. A drive motor on the carriage drives pulleys around which a traction cable is looped and thus displaces the carriage along the suspension cable.
This previously-proposed arrangement has the advantage that it enables the camera to be moved through an aerial path without the use of a ground-engaging supporting vehicle and/or camera boom, so that the camera may be used in locations which are inaccessible to such a vehicle or beyond the reach of a camera boom.
However, it is in many cases desirable to avoid the use of a prime mover on the carriage but also to provide means on the carriage for generating electrical power for energizing components of the system which are mounted in the carriage. Also, there are many circumstances in which the use of a human operator on the carriage of such a camera system is undesirable, for example in inclement weather or when it is desired to employ a suspension system which is not strong enough to support the weight of an operator.